Warning light



Dece 17, 1935. E E, H|GHF|LL 2,024,858

WARNING LIGHT Filed July 27, 1954 l "Il r' x), ATTORNEYS Patented Dec.17, 1935 WARNING LIGHT Ernest Earl Highill, deceased, late of LosAngeles,

Calif., by Jennie Edna. Highill, administratrix,

Los Angeles, Calif.

REISSUED Application July 27, 1934, Serial No. 737,316

3 Claims.

This invention relates to warning lights of the class designedparticularly for application to the rear ends of trucks and trailers andto be employed as a means enabling the road clearance between the truckand an adjacent side of a roadway to be readily discerned by approachingdrivers from behind, and an object is to provide a simple andexceedingly eiective'form of support on which the lamp is mounted,whereby to prevent premature breakage of the filament of the lampincident to the effect of sudden harsh shocks and jars imparted thereto,the support being of a springy or resilient nature and, aside fromfunctioning as set forth, may readily flex and not be injured whenbrought into wiping contact with any object that may reside in its path.

Another object is to simplify the construction of such devices and toprovide a small number of co-operable partsl that can be quicklyassembled.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein simpleand positively acting means are employed for forming a ground connectionbetween the metallic lamp housing of the device and the chassis of thevehicle on whichthe device is mounted.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement of parts which willhereinafter be fully described and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a single and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, un`drstood that no`limitations are necessarily made to the precise structural detailstherein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modificationswithin the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a view of a warning light in front elevation;

Figure 2 is a view of the warning light in side elevation Figure 3 is aview of the warning light in rear elevation;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 ofFigure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

In carrying the invention into practice, use is made of a support 5constructed preferably from non-metallic flat strip material such asmulti-ply canvas, in which the plies are vulcanized to each (Cl.24o-8.3)

other. The support has riveted thereto at 6 an angular metal bracket 1whose flange 8 is formed with openings 9 whereby the bracket can besecured in the desired position to the chassis or some other metallicpart of the vehicle. 5

The support 5 has an opening I0 passing therethrough and co-operabletherewith is a lamp housing consisting of a set of annuli II, I2 and I3,between the one of which designated I I and the one designated I2 theflat strip mate- 10 rial 5 is interposed in a manner to axially alineits opening 9 with said annuli.

The anulus I2 of the set employed is situated outwardly of the annulusII and the latter inwardly of the annulus I3 and, as illustrated, all 15of these annuli are secured together and to the strip 5 by, rivets I4. Y

All of the annuli II, I2and I3 are of the same diameter, the annuli IIand I2 being substantially identical and, except for the annularstrengthening beads Ha, which are upset therefrom, they aresubstantially iiat. This, is to enable them to be firmly clamped againstthe opposite sides 'ofthe strip 5. The annulus I3 is formed with a lensmounting I5 which consists 25 of an annular flared flange I6 whichembraces the flanges I1 of a conical lens I8. The flat face I9 of theflange I'I is rmly seated against the adjacent flat face of the annulusII and held thereby the Split ring 2o, the mier being re- 30 movablycontained in the space between the lens and the inner wall of theaforesaid flange I6. On reference to Figure 4 of the drawing, it will beobserved that a considerable portion of the annulus II is disposed inback of the lens I8, and 35 this surface is preferably polished orsilvered, or the annulus otherwise formed to provide a, light reflector.

An electric lamp socket 2I constitutes a part of the xaforementionedlamp' housing and passing 40 therethrough is a conductor wire 2Ia havingat its end within the socket a disk 22. From one side of the disk isexposed a circuit-making contact element 22a. A coiled spring 23 iscontained in the socket, and operatively bears against the disk to forcethe contact element 22a thereof against the contact element 23a of anelectric light bulb 24. This bulb is effectively disposed in front ofthe reflector surface of the annulus II and is, therefore, partlycontained in the hollow of the lens.

A strip of flexible metallic tape I2a extends from between the annulus,I2 and the strip 5 and is secured at one end to the bracket 1 by one ofthe fastening rivets 6. The other end of the tape is secured to one ofthe rivets M beneath the annulus l2, whereby a ground connection isformed between the bracket 1 and said lamp socket, while permitting thesupport 5 to yield should the light be struck. In some instances it maynot be possible to mount the device directly upon some metallic part ofthe body of the vehicle, and to thus enable a proper ground connectionto be formed between the socket and some other metallic part of thevehicle there is provided a binding post 25, the latter passing throughthe support 5 and the respective annuli Il, I2 and Il. To this post a.wire may be run from the metallic part that established the groundconnection. v

The form of device herein shown and described is such that sudden shocksand jars that are imparted thereto will be largely absorbed by theilexible and more or less springy and resilient support 5, thuspreventing premature breakage of the lament of the lamp. In additionthereto, the support is of a construction to enable the lamp to beeffectively clisplayed from the vehicle. Because of the positions inwhich such devices are by law compelled to be mounted upon a vehicle,they are, at some time or other, liable to accidentally contact withvarious obstructions, such as passing vehicles or:l ixed objects of onesort or another. It follows, Vfrom the ilexible nature of the support 5,that should it be accidentally brought into contact with obstructions,it will merely ilex or be temporarily shifted from its intended displayposition and will readily return to its normal position, as will beappreciated. f

What isclaimed is:

1. A warning light comprising a iiat strip or! resilient self-supportingmaterial having an opening extending therethrough. annuli disposed atthe opposite sides of the strip in alinement with the opening, means torrigidly clamping the annuli to the strip and to each other, 5 anelectric lamp socket secured to one annulus and in a position to disposea lamp in the opening, and a lens removablysecured to the other annulusto enclose the lamp.

2. A warning lamp comprising a pair of alined 10 annuli, a lightreiiector disposed v.at the inner face of one of the annuli, an electriclamp socket carried bythe other annulus for disposing a lamp in frontoi' thereilector, a support of resilient strip material interposedbetween 'said 15 other annulus and the reiiector and secured to bothannuli and the reilector, and a lens detachably secured to said one ofthe annuli to enclose the lamp.

3. A warning light comprising a support of 20 resilient, non-metallic,flat strip material having an yopening therethrough at one end; ametallic attaching bracket at the opposite end of the'support on whichthe support is adapted to freely yield in response to shocks and Jars 25'i imparted thereto; a lamp housing -including a pair of annuli betweenwhich said one end ot the support is clamped with the openings in thelatter land said one of the annuli coinciding; means by which a lamp isadapted to be mounted in the other annulus to project through saidopenings; and a lens detachably secured to the lamp housing to enclosethe lamp. 1

l JENNIE E. HIGHFIIL, Adminstratria: of the Estate of Ernest EarlHighflll, Deceased.

